Bucheon City of Literature

Ha Jin’s Free Life is a work that encompasses both the tragedy and the vitality of ‘Diaspora’. The characters in the novel are disrupted and disconnected from their homeland since the Tiananmen Square massacre. They were not deported but made the choice not to return to their homeland. Life as immigrants under harsh conditions is a process for them to internalize their identity as free persons. During the process they disassemble and reconstruct their cells and neurons in the manner that strengthens their free will. Phrases and dialogues throughout the book are concrete and thoughtfully put, introducing the readers to feel as if they are inside of everyday life of immigrant society. Being inside of the fiction the readers are met with the most vivid reality. This is the very essence of Ha Jin's unparalleled level of literary work.